


An Unlikely Alliance

by Kalloway



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: KH1-only, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-08-18 10:19:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8158681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalloway/pseuds/Kalloway
Summary: What if... Ansem and Sephiroth teamed up to finish plunging all the worlds into darkness... Except, of course, they simply want to use the other's power... Or do they?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: Originally this was a funhouse-mirror version of Without Armor, written under a different name to see if anyone could figure it out. However, it... never moved as quickly.
> 
> Originally posted in... 2005 or so as 'dayslipper' on ff.n.

Sephiroth trailed his fingertips so gently down Cloud's bare chest that the sleeping blond barely stirred. The last thing Sephiroth wanted to do was wake Cloud, especially since Cloud seemed to be free so far of the nightmares that plagued him other nights.

Climbing from the bed, Sephiroth pondered why he was having such difficulty sleeping. Normally he was ready for rest after a day of physical exertion, but tonight he was just restless instead.

The Coliseum was far from the most exciting place even during the day, which left Sephiroth just about bored to tears as he walked through corridor after corridor, looking at least for someone to distract him.

Even the Coliseum kitchens were devoid of stragglers, leaving Sephiroth just a bit wary. Something just wasn't right, but he wasn't sure what it was. He just had a feeling that perhaps, perhaps he should stop wandering and head back to his room.

That, of course, was all the way across the small world, but for a small world, it was still a reasonable distance. Normally he would teleport, but that seemed too easy. Half of why he'd gone walking was to wear himself out so he could sleep.

Snagging an apple, Sephiroth turned to head back to the room he shared with his blond lover. The air outside was cooling off, but far from cold. A slight shiver wandered through Sephiroth's body a moment before he bit into his apple, reminding him that it was a very odd night.

As he walked, Sephiroth found himself being unusually aware of his surroundings. It was the sort of things he did unconsciously most of the time, only now he was spending double-time on each detail, each noise, each scent that drifted through the night.

Far be it from him to disregard what his intuition seemed to be kicking him upside the head with: Something was amiss.

With his apple just a core, Sephiroth flicked it into the air and cast a quick low-level flare spell at it. A little puff of air carried the ashes out into a deserted arena, and Sephiroth walked on, not tired one bit.

Whatever was out in the night, he was going to find it.

A tiny voice in his head nagged that if he was headed off in search of possible danger, he really should let Cloud know first. But still, what Cloud didn't know wouldn't torment him later. Sephiroth was very aware of Cloud's unstable mental health and didn't want to put any undue stress any place it didn't belong.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until Sephiroth found himself at the last of the arenas, the largest of the practice arenas and one of the few built with steps and columns to either aid or impede fighters. He and Cloud had trained here often, practicing new moves and using the uneven ground to the best of their abilities. It also worked well for each of them to test their negotiable flying skills. With one wing each, neither was the most competent, yet still they improved if slowly.

Sephiroth chuckled silently thinking back to the first time Cloud had attempted flight with his black leathery appendage. It had actually gone worse than Sephiroth had expected, leaving his prized solider face first on the ground and cursing violently.

However, getting to kiss all of Cloud's injuries at the end of the day had proven to be quite erotic, especially when it ended with them making love in that very arena. Despite being wounded, Cloud was all burning lust that night, arching and writhing at every touch and thrust. To Sephiroth, it had been heaven, a heaven repeated many times since.

And now a strange aura poured forth from that arena, the likes of which Sephiroth had never felt. It was amazingly strong, so strong that at first Sephiroth was unsure if he was actually a stronger force than whatever the source of the power was. And while it did seem close, Sephiroth knew he was stronger. He'd touched godhood and not looked back, which seemed to be exactly what the unknown visitor in the arena was trying for.

Whomever was in the arena seemed oblivious to Sephiroth's curious gaze and probably couldn't scan for any unexpected company.

It didn't matter.

Sephiroth walked around the perimeter of the arena until a man came into sight at the far edge from the entrance. He'd been hidden by the steps and columns and Sephiroth quickly wondered if he shouldn't have bothered disturbing the man's practice session.

But watching from the sidelines, Sephiroth's blood burned despite the chill in the air. The man he was watching was both a fighter and a mage, skilled but not quite godlike. He was midway through a series of complicated maneuvers with a spear-like weapon, oblivious to everything but his own motions.

The urge to summon Masamune and challenge the man tugged at Sephiroth, but he resisted. Instead he wanted to watch, undisturbed, just a bit longer. The man was definitely interesting enough. Despite the cool air, he was without a shirt, showing off deeply tanned and rather flawless skin. Sculpted muscle shone with a thin layer of sweat in the torchlight of the arena, causing Sephiroth to almost unconsciously lick his lips.

But the kicker was the long silver hair that spilled down the man's back, unbound even while he went through a series of movements that caused it to whip and tangle together.

Finally the man paused, panting only lightly from what Sephiroth could tell.

Taking the initiative, Sephiroth stepped forward and brought his hands together, his leather gloves muting most of his applause.

Still, the man heard it and snapped his head to the side, coolly regarding his unexpected audience of one.

Sephiroth blinked once when he noticed that the man's eyes burned the same color of the torches on the walls: orange.

"I've never seen you here before," Sephiroth said, letting his hands fall to his sides as he approached the man. He didn't want to seem hostile. After all, this man could make an excellent ally for the future.

"But you've seen my minions, my heartless," the man replied, smirking and crossing his arms, letting his weapon drop back to wherever it rested when not summoned.

Sephiroth couldn't help his slight shock. This man was the one who controlled the heartless. If he could become an ally, then yes, all would be well indeed.

"I have," Sephiroth said as quickly as he could. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sephiroth."

The other man stood there a minute, perhaps just finally attempting to gauge just what Sephiroth truly was.

"Lord Ansem," the man replied, offering a hand. "And I would like to make you an offer."


	2. Chapter 2

Sephiroth frowned. This was not quite what he was after. Or, more correctly, not quite what he was expecting.

He'd thought that the man, Lord Ansem, would put up some sort of resistance, be it physical or verbal.

"And what would that be?" Sephiroth asked, wondering if he was perchance reading too much into the terms of the unstated offer.

Ansem tilted his head ever so slightly, as if taking in just a slightly different angle of the man standing before him. Sephiroth didn't miss the tiny movement, he was expecting Ansem to strike at any moment. He would not get caught off guard.

This was his arena, his game, after all. And he was stronger than Ansem, even if Ansem had yet to figure that little fact out.

"A spar, and then perhaps we can discuss future plans," Ansem said, free of inflection.

Sephiroth suddenly wasn't so sure he wanted in on this particular game, but both his curiosity and his urge for power pulled him forward. He found himself nodding before he realized what he was doing.

As Sephiroth watched Ansem pull his weapon from its summon-space, Sephiroth found himself struck by a new idea. He would most definitely play along, find out Ansem's plans, and then crush the man if his ambitions were foolish or shortsighted. Sephiroth already knew he didn't want any of the worlds he'd seen lately. There was something better out there, and that was what he aspired to. He wanted his promised land and he wanted to take Cloud there with him.

With Masamune in hand, Sephiroth stepped forward, waiting for Ansem to make the first move. Without knowing Ansem's full abilities, he didn't want to underestimate his opponent. Still, if the exercise just completed was any indication, Ansem was powerful, but not powerful enough nor refined enough with his technique to be more than a minor annoyance as an opponent. Sephiroth did not anticipate breaking a sweat.

Ansem faked a move to the left while unleashing what Sephiroth considered a mid-level magic spell. But the spell had no effect on Sephiroth - he’d long ago become just about immune to any sort of magic attack. And what touching godhood had not granted him, he still had a few little accessories within his attire that took care of the rest. Obviously Ansem hadn't figured that little detail out in advance, as he paused a second to see what his attempted casting had accomplished. That was just enough time for Sephiroth to half-heartedly teleport himself behind the man and slide a hand up Ansem's chest to grasp loosely at Ansem's throat.

Though Sephiroth was holding Ansem with just that hand, the amount of pressure he was using quickly convinced Ansem that perhaps he had better not draw any conclusions about who he was up against.

"Again," Ansem said hoarsely, gasping for breath as Sephiroth released him. Apparently that was a minor trick from the bag and Ansem had something better to unleash.

Stepping to the side, Sephiroth looked at Ansem, silver-hair just a bit messy as it stuck slightly to the sweat on Ansem’s back.

Nodding agreement to another round, Sephiroth realized only then that he hadn't even managed to find an opportunity to swing Masamune just yet. The last round hadn’t touched on challenging.

And this time Ansem wouldn't be so lucky.

It was then that Sephiroth almost stumbled, momentarily startled by the summon spell Ansem cast, bringing forth a dark guardian. It was a cheap move, Sephiroth decided. He was never quick to use creatures to do his bidding in the past and hoped to never need to rely on such a measure.

The guardian kept sweeping at him, keeping him back from Ansem just enough that Masamune didn't have the range. All that Sephiroth could think to do was cast the first spell that came to mind. He didn't even need to scream the words, all it took was a slight whisper.

And no one ever saw that little spell coming. It was a favorite trick to pull on Cloud, especially when the day was growing long and there were better things to do than endlessly spar. There was just something about the expression on Cloud’s face when he realized what has happening. Time after time, the blond never seemed to have time to keep the spell from coming to fruition, time after time he would fall from a spell so simple he was being taught to use it himself.

It was only afterward that Cloud would be a little grouchy, touchy about the fact that he’d basically had any chance of continued practice taken from him just by the needs and wants of his lover. But Sephiroth knew that it would take something much more grandiose than losing to tear Cloud from his side now.

"Sin Harvest..."

All it took after that was a swoop through the air and a tap to the chest of the rather confused Lord Ansem.

Sephiroth carried Ansem through the arena and out to the hallway so the man could be healed properly. While Sephiroth had never bothered honing his healing magic to the degree of his offensive spells, what he could do was more than enough to bring Ansem coughing back to consciousness.

Looking up into Sephiroth's green eyes, Ansem seemed to come upon a realization. He had been outmatched yet again.

"Somewhere to rest?" Sephiroth asked, offering Ansem a hand that was quickly refused.

"What was that?" Ansem demanded.

"Something to discuss in the morning, perhaps," Sephiroth replied coolly. "You should rest, and I should be getting back to my room and the bed warmed by my lover."

Ansem narrowed his eyes. "For a realm not yours and for one not already allied to me, you are..."

"Commanding," Sephiroth supplied, watching as Ansem retrieved a coat and slid it onto his body. It didn't hide all of the muscles Sephiroth found himself appreciating, which was a pleasant treat. But despite his guest's looks, what he really desired was what was waiting in his bed.

Surely Cloud wouldn't mind being woken up just this once.

Either way, the morning was bound to bring excitement, a welcome change if ever Sephiroth could think of one.


	3. Chapter 3

He couldn’t fault the blonde for wanting another hour or so to doze in the peaceful morning sun of the Coliseum. After watching the fascinating lord of the shadow creatures drop back into a self-created dark void, Sephiroth had been a little demanding once he arrived back in his room.

Cloud certainly was a vision while sleeping, anyway, so peaceful and completely opposite his usual overwrought and misery-seeking demeanor. It was very nearly laughable, how many random incidents Cloud had wanted to blame himself for. Cloud was loathe to forgiveness, something he would need to work through on his own, Sephiroth thought.

As he left their shared chambers in search of a morning meal, Sephiroth searched the Coliseum for the deliciously dark aura that he’d memorized the night before, but there was nothing. Save that he had never once seen a bird on the premises, Sephiroth found himself waiting to hear one chirping happily beneath the warming sun.

The kitchens, at least, were alive with activity when Sephiroth arrived. Never one to question any of the motley gang of lost souls for their continued residence in the Coliseum or for their desire to create large breakfasts, Sephiroth helped himself to something that looked quite a bit more like a dessert than a proper breakfast. After the crisp tartness of the apple he’d pilfered the night before, his sweet tooth was aching to be indulged.

He truly hadn’t meant to unleash such a potentially insulting bit of magic on Ansem, but cheap tricks did often lead to cheap tricks. It wasn’t as though that spell was his trump card or anything – there were other, more deadly things within his arsenal, but Sin Harvest was his preferred means to an end when he just wanted an opponent down, not out.

So he was well aware that he might have offended Ansem to the point where his mysterious offer may have been rescinded before being offered. Sephiroth knew he didn’t necessarily require any assistance at the moment anyway; he didn’t want these worlds any more than he his one black feathered wing, truth be told. Even if it was a prominent symbol of his godhood, without a mate physically attached to him, he couldn’t help feeling a little of Cloud’s angst at being aesthetically deformed.

But yes, his aspirations were beyond his surroundings, to say the least. However so long as Cloud had a contract securing their quarters and there was a reasonable amount of activity to keep his interest, there was little point in moving on, either.

Power was power, after all, Sephiroth thought suddenly between spoonfuls of strawberries and whipped cream. Ansem may well have something of quality to extend and certainly he would know better than to let himself be played.

Again.

Before his spoon so much as had settled in his empty bowl, one of the strange little creatures that inhabited the Coliseum had snatched it and marched off, grinning a little as it regarded Sephiroth.

Whatever it had been told about himself, Sephiroth did not know nor want to know. It was enough that these creatures seemed interested in his welfare, no matter how genuine it might be. They did their job and he did what he assumed his to be, act as an attraction for foolish heroes and cut them down before they know what’s happening.

Of course the contract did belong to his lover, but still, fate and a spell greater than any magic even he knew had decided that they were separate halves of the same whole.

He stood and turned, walking in the opposite direction and wrapping through shady hallways until he was back at the multi-leveled practice arena. Not sure what he had been expecting, he sighed at its vast emptiness. Waiting was something he didn’t mind doing, however, and since his body had been tended to, he took a seat on a low step.

Cloud would be up and looking for him before long, he thought, gazing at the dusty floor and wondering where the dust had come from. Likely it was all torn from the blocks and pillars of the arena, which, on further inspection, were crisscrossed with patterns of sword-hashes and other marks. The dust wasn’t quite enough to make footing an issue, anyway, and Sephiroth committed the thought to the back of his mind to be toyed with later.

When he had gotten back the night before, he hadn’t said a word to Cloud, only waking him from turning dreams and claiming his body. Sephiroth knew that Cloud would be angry at what he would dub ‘secrets’ even if they weren’t truly secret, just not yet told.

But perhaps, if Ansem knew enough of the paths between worlds, there was a way back to their world to be gained from all of this – or at least the pair could learn the true fate of their world and the others they’d stumbled blindly through. To Cloud, that would be worth information withheld, certainly. While there was but a small handful of souls Sephiroth had any interest in finding the whereabouts of, he knew Cloud had gathered a much larger circle of allies.

Before he could dwell longer on the strange group Cloud considered kin, Sephiroth felt a change in the air that quickly peaked into the heart-wrenching darkness that heralded Ansem’s arrival a moment later. Something about him felt different, Sephiroth noted, but not necessarily more powerful, just more guarded.

“My lord,” Sephiroth said, rising just to bow. He’d play it cool for now, at least, and act as though he was not capable of and had not knocked Ansem halfway into the next week just hours before.

“What would you gain from an alliance with me?” Ansem inquired once Sephiroth was standing again.

And despite being taught many years ago by a harried nursemaid that questions should never be answered with questions, Sephiroth couldn’t help himself.

“Why do you not fear one with me?”


	4. Chapter 4

Ansem chuckled as he stepped closer to Sephiroth, giving the former general a thourough once-over.

"I believe that if you'd wanted to eliminate me, you would have already done so," Ansem replied. "You must believe there's something I can offer you..."

"Truth," Sephiroth interrupted as he took a step closer. He would not let himself be intimidated by the warrior-mage, even if he was the one who controlled the heartless. "Understanding. If you control the heartless, certainly you know the fate of worlds they've visited."

"Consumed," Ansem said curtly. "Reduced to nothingness. But that isn't all you seek."

"Perhaps it is not," Sephiroth stated. Truthfully, keeping Ansem as an ally was a much better idea than making an enemy of him. That was most of it - that and keeping Cloud safe. "What do you desire from me?"

Ansem smirked. "I need you to watch over a young warrior. Teach him, if he's willing to learn."

Frowning, Sephiroth paused for a moment before opening his mouth to speak.

But before words formed on his lips, sunlight pierced the arena. Ansem's face contorted to one of pain as the first rays hit him and in a swirl of grey smoke, he collapsed down onto the floor. Seconds later, as Sephiroth knelt to assist him, the smoke cleared to reveal a boy dressed in black, barely conscious and certainly unaware of his surroundings.

"That was... unusual," Sephiroth said mostly to himself as he scooped up the boy and slung the boy's dead weight over his left shoulder. Cloud would have to put up with sharing their room, at least until they'd all figured out what was going on.

"Who are you?" he asked the boy as he turned the corner into the last hallway before the room he shared with Cloud. Not a single one of the low level demons that worked throughout the place had commented on Sephiroth's burden, though Sephiroth supposed that if one had, he may have just attempted to vaporize it. The boy moaned in response but nothing more.

The predicament was interesting, if nothing else. Sephiroth had thought he'd found a powerful warrior-mage with exploitable power but instead he'd found a powerful entity with no body of its own that needed to rely on a donor who seemed to be mostly oblivious to his situation. Ansem existed only in darkness and the exhausted boy tossed over his shoulder came forth in the light.

There was little to do aside from biding time til dusk, Sephiroth decided as he opened the door to the room he shared with Cloud.

"Seph?" Cloud had an armload of books when he turned towards the door, no doubt picking up for the first time in weeks. As much as Sephiroth liked to consider himself tidy and self-sufficient, he had a slight weakness for leaving his research materials in disarray. And Cloud wasn't much of a maid, but he had his limits and apparently Sephiroth had nudged against them.

Cloud frowned when he saw the extra set of legs Sephiroth was holding and circled around to make sure there was an entire body attached. "What did you...?"

"I was asked to take care of him," Sephiroth replied, hoping to get out of the conversation with as few revelations and explanations as possible.

"By Hades?" Cloud questioned. "Shouldn't..."

"By one of Hades' likely conspirators," Sephiroth replied carefully. He doubted that the dark god had any clue about Ansem's slight problem. "I feel inclined to believe that Hades doesn't know exactly what has happened."

"And what has happened?" Cloud asked as he set the books down on a low table.

"Well," Sephiroth said, "I was asked to take care of him..."

Cloud didn't respond, instead he simply gestured towards the bed.

"He just needs to rest," Sephiroth added as he started off towards their bed. The room wasn't so much a room as almost a suite, but things weren't quite separate enough and there weren't quite enough amenities to consider it more than a room. Still, Sephiroth was fairly sure he could talk to Cloud without disturbing the boy; the better part of a stone wall blocked off the actual sleeping area from the sitting area.

The boy mumbled something as Sephiroth dumped him onto the bed and hauled a thick, somewhat itchy blanket over him.

"I wonder if you eat normal food," Sephiroth mused as he walked away. He'd see if the kitchen demons had any soup, or make Cloud go do it. Now that his books had been gathered into a pile, he would have to put in a little extra time getting everything situated again. His current project, however, wasn't as interesting as the boy on his bed.

"There's a tournament in a few days," Cloud said when Sephiroth reappeared, either unconcerned with the boy or simply attempting his usual apathy. "Maybe some off-worlders will come."

"Will you fight?" Sephiroth asked as he retrieved one of his books. He'd have to make a request to get any local texts with references to body sharing. The language wasn't particularly a difficulty, though he often found himself jotting notes in that language instead of their own, which frustrated Cloud.

"I have to," Cloud replied. "It's what I do here."

"I am more than willing to participate as well," Sephiroth said as he flipped a couple of pages and slowly walked over to one of the high-backed wooden chairs that dotted the sitting room. "If someone who could challenge me managed to appear."

"Does that mean we don't get to spar later?" Cloud asked as he stretched once, hands clasped above his head. "I think I can round up a few demons or something to push around, but..."

"We can spar," Sephiroth said as he set the book down, pages spread, on the seat of the chair and walked back over to Cloud. "We can go now and stop by the kitchen afterward to acquire something for our guest."

"You're not going to tell me about him, are you?" Cloud asked, frowning again. Still, he walked over to where his sword rested and grabbed it.

"I believe I've told you everything I know," Sephiroth replied, fairly sure he wasn't entirely lying. After all, they were merely discussing the boy and not any other peculiar entities who just happened to share they boy's body. "Truthfully, I can't even say that I know his name."


End file.
